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Rays Summer Camp: Day One

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32 of 37 players attended the first day of Summer Camp — AKA Spring Training 2.0 — at Tropicana Field on Friday.

32 of 37 players participated in eight-player groups during the first day of Summer Camp — AKA Spring Training 2.0 — at the Trop on Friday. Two others — non-roster catchers Chris Herrmann and Kevan Smith — were moved to the Rays Spring Training complex in Port Charlotte, where the remaining 23 players in Tampa Bay’s pool are based, to better distribute the workload.

Those who did not participate were Yonny Chirinos, Chaz Roe, and Jose Martinez, all of whom are expected to be on the Rays’ Opening Day roster.

Rays skipper Kevin Cash said Chirinos, Roe, and Martinez missed the first day of Summer Camp for a variety of reasons, although he couldn’t get into specifics per Major League Baseball’s health protocols — MLB has told ball-clubs not to comment on COVID-19 related issues due to HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) concerns unless a player gives explicit permission.

There were a variety of reasons as to why we were not at 100 percent attendance. …Given all of the protocols, guidelines that we’re trying to follow, we’re not going to get into specifics.

— Kevin Cash

That left writers, like Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), to speculate on the absence of Chirinos, Roe, and Martinez.

A travel delay wasn’t the issue, as Chirinos and Martinez were among the dozen-plus players working out at the Trop over the past six weeks. All others, such as Roe, arrived by Wednesday’s report day to undergo the intake testing — saliva for COVID-19 and blood for antibodies — required before they can join the group.

Among possibilities for their absence — besides a positive COVID-19 test that requires isolation — are a delay in getting the results from their tests, showing coronavirus symptoms, or being in known contact with someone who has tested positive for symptoms. (MLB said Friday that 31 players and seven staffers spread across 19 teams tested positive.)

Or they could be otherwise sick, injured or dealing with a personal or family matter. (Martinez, for what it’s worth, is a regular on social media but hasn’t posted in several days.)

— Marc Topkin

Meanwhile, on the field, Cash said he was pleased with the overall look of the group.

It was great to see the guy. You could tell most of the guys came in and had been doing something to keep their bodies in shape.

— Kevin Cash

Some players were relegated to conditioning work, which may have taken place outdoors, while others utilized the new batting cage with pitching mounds beneath the stands for live batting practice sessions. Hour-long workgroups took place on the field; ground balls and fly balls were taken on the turf as well as during standard batting practice.

Jalen Beeks, Pete Fairbanks, Charlie Morton, Colin Poche, Trevor Richards, and Ryan Yarbrough all threw off the mound.

Following a three-inning simulated game, Morton conceded the circumstances were odd, all though the team did a great job preparing for it. He also said that he’s not completely comfortable playing in the midst of a pandemic.

I don’t feel entirely comfortable with the idea of doing this. But I don’t know how long we’re supposed to sit in our homes and wait to make a decision about our careers. …My intention was to play if we had the opportunity. It’s my job I feel like I have a responsibility to the organization. I feel like I have a responsibility to try.

— Charlie Morton

Morton, the presumed Opening Day starter, believes he could be extended to go four innings by the scheduled start of the season.

Noteworthiness

— Cincinnati Reds southpaw Amir Garrett made an outstanding point on Friday, encouraging everyone to remember that just because baseball is back, we have a lot of work to do on other fronts.

Or, in the words of Malcolm X,

You don’t stick a knife in a man’s back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you’re making progress … No matter how much respect, no matter how much recognition, whites show towards me, as far as I am concerned, as long as it is not shown to every one of our people in this country, it doesn’t exist for me.

— Malcolm X

— MLB released the first set of results for COVID-19 testing: 38 positive tests – 31 players, 7 staff members. 1.2% of the 3,185 total samples collected and tested.

— The Rays will resume their Summer Camp activities on Saturday.

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Rays kick off Summer Camp 2020

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The Rays are officially back to work as of Friday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Amidst some fear and a whole lot of excitement, the Tampa Bay Rays will kick off Summer Camp — formerly known as Spring Training 2.0 — on Friday. About 18 Rays players already made it safely through six weeks of optional workouts at the Trop, although there were a “small number” of cases within the organization.

According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), Rays General manager Erik Neander said the “odds are” they will have some positive tests among the 60 players and dozen-plus field staff members coming back to work. Members of the organization will undergo saliva tests as they report and then every other day going forward. The new normal, as it were.

How the team limits exposure to COVID-19 and contains the spread from those infected is a major topic of discussion within the organization. Still, the team is confident it can cobble together a safe and productive training camp leading up to Opening Day on July 24.

The initial plan for the three-week Summer Camp is focused on separation and social distancing, which they feel worked well over the last six weeks. Yet because of it, the team might not be together as a whole until the final few days for exhibition or intrasquad ball-games.

The question begs, what will Spring Training 2.0 look like? Topkin rattled off a number of relevant bullet points worth considering on Thursday. An annotated version of his original list follows:

  • Players will be split into four groups of eight to 10 — a mix of pitchers and hitters — and assigned one-hour, staggered shifts using different areas of the Trop.

They’ll have a set 15-minute window to arrive for either their every other- day COVID-19 saliva tests or temperature screening, then 45 minutes to get ready (eat, lift weights, get treatment from the athletic trainers) before their scheduled workout session. Afterward, they will have limited time for other optional activities before leaving.

  • To comply with Major League Baseball’s distancing protocols for clubhouses, the Rays will split the group among three rooms.

Position players, Cash, and some coaches will use the normal home clubhouse. Pitchers, pitching coaches and bullpen catchers will be in the visiting clubhouse. Additional staff will use the auxiliary clubhouse.

  • The initial work on the field will look somewhat normal, except for the limited number of participants: swings at the plate, ground balls and fly balls in the field, throwing sessions off the mounds, running, and conditioning for all. They’ll bump up the intensity with some live batting practice/simulated game sessions.

There will be ample time for individual defensive work, such as getting Jose Martinez better at first base and newcomers Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe comfortable with the quirky outfield.

  • Special care will be taken with common space and equipment.

Staff, and not players, will pick up balls on the field and do so wearing protective gloves. All balls and shared equipment used on one day will be collected, disinfected with the Clorox Total 360 electrostatic spray system, and stored in a room with ultraviolet lights for a set number of days, with a different clean assortment of balls used the next day.

  • Holding training camp at a regular-season stadium with one field — a domed and air-conditioned stadium, at that — would seem limiting, but the Rays have some plans.

Running and conditioning work will be done outside at times, some in the adjacent sloped players parking lot. Some throwing could be done at nearby Al Lang Stadium, where the Rays-owned Rowdies soccer team practices and plays.

Some pitchers might get acclimated to the heat by throwing their simulated games in Port Charlotte, where the other 23 Rays players (chosen to provide roster depth and get development time) will be working out daily, as well.

Other less-visible space at the Trop will be used, too. There are batting cages under the stands near both clubhouses, and what had been storage space (and the postseason interview room) was converted this offseason into a hitting/pitching “lab” stocked with high-tech analytical devices, including a full mound and large net to hit into.

With MLB emphasizing limiting the use of confined spaces, the Rays also are discussing building another batting cage in a fan party area behind the bullpen.

The Rays also have a number of roster questions to answer. For example, how many pitchers will the team carry? At the start of the season, all big-league squads will carry a 30-man roster which will be whittled down to 26 two weeks into the shortened season. Additionally, how many starters might Kevin Cash and Kyle Snyder use?

The plan had always been to air on the side of caution with Blake Snell, Charlie Morton, and Tyler Glasnow across a 162-game season. After all, the 36-year-old Morton is coming off a career-high 33 starts, while Glasnow and Snell are both coming back from injuries.

But thanks to the vastly shorter season, there will not be any restrictions on the Rays top-line hurlers. Still, the team will continue to seek ways to utilize the six total off-days over the course of the campaign to give Morton, Glasnow, and Snell an occasional sixth day in between starts.

Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) made note of another potential roster altering point, saying, “If starters are able to give the Rays five innings, does that limit the need for as many bulk pitchers (Brendan McKay, Jalen Beeks, Anthony Banda, Trevor Richards). If that’s the case, Tampa Bay would have a greater need for more true relief pitchers. Also, remember that there are unique extra-inning rules and this likely means less total innings to cover another important consideration.”

Going into a typical 162-game season, we were already mapping out in preparation for some of those year-over-year workload concerns. But as of right now, I don’t think there’ll be any limitations as it relates to guys and their innings totals.

— Kyle Snyder

To that end, how might the overall pitching total impact the position player pool? Once the number of position players is determined, Cash and Neander will need to make sure they have the right amount of roster depth and flexibility, including positional coverage and a balance in terms of left-handed hitters, right-handed hitters, and switch-hitters. Might the team carry a bevy of right-handed position players, like Mike Brosseau and Daniel Robertson? Might the team carry left-handed position players, like Nate Lowe, given the other southpaw bats on the roster (Yoshi Tsutsugo, Brandon Lowe, Joey Wendle, and Ji-Man Choi)?

The Rays will have approximately 21 days to evaluate things before their home opener against Toronto. Whatever the case, given the construct of their 60-man player pool roster, Tampa Bay has fantastic depth and positional flexibility to consider a myriad of possible options. That evaluatory period starts now.

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Rays formally announce 60-man player pool; Noteworthiness

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Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Rays Rays formally announced their 60-man player pool ahead of Sunday’s roster deadline. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Rays announced the 60-man player pool that skipper Kevin Cash and Rays Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Erik Neander will draw from for the team’s 30-man Opening Day roster.

Note: those not on the 40-man roster are designated by a *, while those in italics are headed to Port Charlotte. Finally, those designated by ** are MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospects.

Pitchers (30)

Jose Alvarado, Nick Anderson, Anthony Banda, Shane Baz* **, Jalen Beeks, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, Dylan Covey*, John Curtiss*, Oliver Drake, Peter Fairbanks, Josh Fleming*, Sean Gilmartin*, Tyler Glasnow, Andrew Kittredge, Aaron Loup*, Shane McClanahan*, Brendan McKay**, Sam McWilliams*, Charlie Morton, Colin Poche, Trevor Richards, Chaz Roe, Joe Ryan*, Ryan Sherriff*, Aaron Slegers*, Blake Snell, DJ Snelten*, Ryan Thompson*, Ryan Yarbrough.

Catchers (5)

Roberto Hernandez, Chris Herrmann*, Michael Perez, Kevan Smith*, Mike Zunino

Infielders (15)

Willy Adames, Mike Brosseau, Vidal Brujan**, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Lucius Fox, Wander Franco* **, Brandon Lowe, Nate Lowe, Jose Martinez, Kevin Padlo, Esteban Quiroz*, Daniel Robertson, Taylor Walls*, Joey Wendle.

Outfielders (10)

Randy Arozarena, Dylan Cozens*, Kevin Kiermaier, Ryan LaMarre*, Josh Lowe*, Manuel Margot, Austin Meadows, Brian O’Grady, Hunter Renfroe, Yoshi Tsutsugo.

In a Zoom call, Neander noted that versatility, flexibility, and depth are the strengths of the roster.

The position player side, I think we’ve got a group that allows us a lot of flexibility with how we match up on any given night from a handedness standpoint, from a positional versatility standpoint. There’s a lot of different ways we can put a starting lineup together. Certainly on the pitching side, versatility, adaptability has been our thing. We have a lot of pitchers that are conditioned to suit us in a lot of different roles.

— Erik Neander

The 60-man player pool is grouped by players who will participate in Summer Camp at Tropicana Field (37 players) and those who will work out at Charlotte Sports Park (23 players). Those in St. Petersburg will compete for the 30 Opening Day roster spots, while the others will participate in player development activities while also staying prepared should they be added to the taxi squad.

The bulk of the 60-man player pool was focused on big-league depth.

First and foremost we prioritized what we felt we needed to help our Major League club. And then hit a point where we had some spots we could play with where if things go haywire we have some pleasant surprises from guys in our system, kind of identified the next wave of sorts that could potentially be well down the list in terms of Major League options for us but kind of that next wave and could benefit developmentally from the experience.

— Erik Neander

Wunderkind Wander Franco, Vidal Brujan, Shane Baz, Josh Lowe, and Shane McClanahan are among those that will participate in Port Charlotte. Meanwhile, Esteban Quiroz, who played in Triple-A last season, was acquired after the pandemic began; Quiroz was a player to be named later in a trade with San Diego.

Neander expects that all big-league coaches will remain in St. Petersburg, while Field Coordinator Michael Johns will oversee the group in Port Charlotte.

As per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio), the players in the 60-man pool who are not on the 40-man roster still have to be added to that group through a transaction to play for the Rays. Additions to the 60-player pool can be made, but any player removed from the group cannot be added again.

Ball clubs will start the season with a 30-man active roster for the first two weeks of the shortened 60-game campaign. The roster then will be reduced to 28, and finally to 26 for the balance of the season. Any player who contracts COVID-19 will not count against the 60-man player pool or the 40-man roster until they are deemed healthy.

In a piece on the Rays Radio blog, Solondz reckoned there are five key questions that Neander and Cash will seek to answer as they determine the Opening Day roster:

  1. How many pitchers will they carry? With 30 players, there’s no limit at the start of the season as to the total number of pitchers a team can carry. Since you’re protecting your position players from injury too, would an even split make sense, or would you carry more pitchers or more position players?
  2. How far are the starting pitchers stretched out and how many starters do the Rays use? Are any of the Rays starters able to go five or six innings by Opening Day? One would think Tampa Bay will be cautious, especially with the possibility of at most just a few exhibition games. Could the Rays use a six-pitcher rotation? Seattle is one example of a team that already has committed to this idea to start. If starters are able to give the Rays five innings, does that limit the need for as many bulk pitchers (Brendan McKay, Jalen Beeks, Anthony Banda, Trevor Richards)? If that’s the case, Tampa Bay would have a greater need for more true relief pitchers. Also, remember that there are unique extra-inning rules and this likely means less total innings to cover another important consideration.
  3. Do the Rays add a non-roster player? This would require a 40-man move, and the team could do that without waiving anyone by putting Brent Honeywell on the 60-day injured list since he’s not expected to pitch for Tampa Bay this year. That’s assuming the team was willing to start his MLB service clock. Right now, reliever Aaron Loup and catchers Kevan Smith and Chris Herrmann are the three non-roster players slated to workout at Tropicana Field. Part of this determination would depend upon how each of the players performs and looks over the next few weeks.
  4. How does the pitching total impact the position player pool? Do the Rays have 14 pitchers, 15, more than that? How does this impact the position players selected? Once the number of position players is determined, the Rays will have to make sure they have the right amount of flexibility, and that includes positional coverage, or a balance in terms of lefties, righties, and switch-hitters on the roster. Can Tampa Bay carry multiple extra right-handed infielders like Mike Brosseau and Daniel Robertson? The same applies to having Nate Lowe since there are left-handed bats Yoshi Tsutsugo, Brandon Lowe, Joey Wendle, and Ji-Man Choi that can play the infield.
  5. Do the Rays get creative with the 30-player roster? If the roster is expanded, you could add a third catcher. However, adding catchers Smith or Herrmann would require a roster move as mentioned above. Another consideration is having a possible player that would primarily as a late-inning or extra-inning pinch-runner. Remember that the tenth inning begins with a runner at second. Would you consider putting a Vidal Brujan or a Lucius Fox on the team to handle that sort of role, or would the lack of MLB experience make the Rays less likely to go that route?

Noteworthiness

— Both Yoshi Tsutsugo and Ji-Man Choi are expected to be back in time for the opening of Summer Camp, on Thursday.

— Neander: “I really, really, really like our group.”

— According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), Rays officials are “actively exploring” ways to attend games at Tropicana Field this season. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman isn’t discounting the idea.

The mayor is open-minded on this. He’s talked to the Rays. Everyone would like to see the trajectory of the (coronavirus) data change. But the mayor is receptive to learning more. … Let’s hear more about how we keep everyone safe.

— Mayor Rick Kriseman’s communications director Ben Kirby

Topkin also said Rays officials confirmed they are looking for ways to host fans at the Trop while working with area authorities about coronavirus concerns.

We miss the passionate support our fans bring to Tropicana Field and Al Lang Stadium, but the health and safety of our fans, players, coaches, and staff remains paramount to our reopening plans. We continue to work closely with local authorities and experts to determine a safe path forward.

— Brian Auld

Given the spike in COVID-19 cases, it would appear that the key sticking points would be plans for socially distanced seating and the number of fans that would be allowed to attend games. Under the state’s phased reopening plan, venues could open at 50% capacity, but the Rays seem likely to target a lower number.

— In the same article, Topkin spoke with Tampa Mayor Jayne Castor about the continued attempts by Tampa and Hillsborough County officials to woo the team away from St. Petersburg.

To be clear, Tampa officials recently moved a CRA away from downtown and to areas of actual need, i.e. Tampa’s already non-existent stadium funding apparatus is now even more non-existent. That’s not to mention COVID-19, an economic recession (if not depression), and Tampa’s police chief who is losing the faith of citizens and local leaders based on his response to the Black Lives Matter protests and marches across the bay.

If I may, this is the opposite of the Overton Window — using a milquetoast distraction to draw attention away from Castor’s formidable first-term challenges. Mayor Castor, how about reallocating police funding to things the community actually needs and let the mayor of St. Petersburg worry about the Rays when the time is right?

— C’mon Burgers and Tampons, wear your masks.

— In all seriousness people, wear your damn masks.

— For the love of God, WEAR A FUCKING MASK!

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Rays players and staff are cautiously excited for the shortened 2020 season

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SS Willy Adames making a play during Spring Training 1.0, earlier this year.

If Tyler Glasnow had to sum up a collective feeling shared by his teammates in one word, it would likely be “ecstatic.”

Everyone was just ecstatic. We’re all in the group chat, so I think guys are just arranging to travel back to Tampa (Bay) or wherever they’re going. And then we’re going to pick it up from there.

— Tyler Glasnow

Even though the 60-game 2020 campaign could be perceived as a public health disaster waiting to happen — which is a very valid criticism of the league’s plan — it would appear that barring any unforeseen circumstances, Spring Training will resume the middle of next week.

Tampa Bay enters Spring Training 2.0 ahead of its peers in some respects. Over the past month, between 10 and 18 players have participated in voluntary staggered workouts at Tropicana Field three times a week. Rays skipper Kevin Cash told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) that that would help them in a shortened season, in a media Zoom call on Wednesday.

I think it’s been very helpful. Certainly, it’s been beneficial to the players in getting them built up. We’ve learned a lot over the last month on implementing some of our own protocols.

— Kevin Cash

Cash also praised the buy-in by the staff, including players, who have been respectful of the safety protocols that have been enforced over the last month. Supplementary details, on how the team will practice once camp officially opens on Wednesday, are expected over the next few days.

While none of the big-leaguers on the roster have come down with COVID-19, Rays General Manager Erik Neander acknowledged the challenge ahead of the team during the media Zoom call.

We’re going to have to be extra cautious, we’re going to have to be disciplined, there’s going to have to be some sacrifices made, all for the spirit of trying to give our team a chance to compete this year and get this season in. I think we all collectively recognize what’s at stake and that we’re going to have to be really disciplined in our behaviors to make sure we’re not putting any individual at risk, we’re not putting families at risk in any undue ways and we have the opportunity to play.

— Erik Neander

Tampa Bay will be faced with a difficult slate of games, which will prove to be challenging for the Rays.

Consider that two-thirds of the schedule will be against division rivals, while the other third will come against some fairly accomplished National League East teams. The Yankees will be a good team once again, and Boston’s pitching staff should benefit from the shortened season. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays have a young talented squad, and the abbreviated season could work in their favor. Then there are the Interleague matchups, which will include 14 games against the reigning World Series champions, not to mention Atlanta, the Phillies, and the Mets. Contrast that with a team like the Twins or Cleveland, who will battle teams from the other two Central Divisions. They may have an advantage in accruing additional wins … wins that could benefit either squad in the hunt for a postseason berth.

Still, a 60-game sprint could benefit the Rays pitching staff, one of the best in the game. Aside from building up any given hurler, neither Cash nor Kyle Snyder will need to worry about limiting the number of bullets fired by Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, Yonny Chirinos, Tyler Glasnow, and Brendan McKay. Neil Solondz put things succinctly, saying, “In a 60-game season, even if a player makes 12 starts and averages seven innings (highly unlikely based on the buildup time and the depth of the Rays staff), that’s only 84 innings.”

Moreover, depth favors Tampa Bay. The Rays used 57 position players in 2019, and 33 pitchers. The pitching staff likely won’t be stretched out by the end of July, making relievers or bulk pitchers that can throw 50-to-60 pitches incredibly valuable. If, for example, Charlie Morton can toss four-to-five innings in his first few starts, the Rays should have enough pitching depth to fill the middle innings before Cash can turn to the back end of the bullpen.

To that end, Neander revealed a priority heading into Sunday’s “Summer Camp” roster deadline: add players that can help the club win as many games as possible during the shortened regular season. Put another way, Neander wants to carry enough depth to protect the team from injury or illness. The last few spots on the taxi squad will be used for developmental purposes, which will benefit prospects like Shane McClanahan and Wander Franco, both of whom now have a shot of making their big league debut in 2020.

Neil Solondz likewise touched on the subject of overall team health, which will play a large role this season. “This covers two areas. For one, the coronavirus. It’s certainly an unknown and the situation with the Phillies in Clearwater that if one case can become a cluster quite quickly. It’s especially a concern in Florida as case numbers continue to rise. If the virus impacts a team for multiple weeks that can be the difference between making the postseason and not doing so. Remember that there are still only 10 playoff spots, so margins will be quite thin. In addition, it’s also unclear what kind of physical condition all players are in, and how quickly they’ll be able to ramp up and return to form. Are muscular injuries like groins, hamstrings, etc more likely to occur? Remember that any injury, even if it’s “minor” and causes an individual to miss two weeks, that amounts to nearly a quarter of a season. The teams that stay the healthiest have a huge advantage in a shortened year.”

One thing is certain, it will be incumbent on the Rays to get off to a quick start since they could ostensibly win or lose the AL East with a bad month, or even one or two bad weeks of play.

At any rate, a 2020 season no longer appears to be a hypothetical concept … fingers crossed, of course.

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MLB announces 60-game 2020 season

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As seen on the Tampa Bay Rays Instagram site.

After Major League Baseball’s owners unanimously agreed to launch a 60-game season on Monday, the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association finalized a return-to-play game plan Tuesday night. Rays players will report to Tropicana Field on July 1, while Spring Training — albeit an abbreviated camp — will resume two days later, on July 3.

In the interest of health and safety for players and personnel, there will be some new rules and procedures. Anthony Castrovince (MLB.com) created a handy guide to all of those changes, procedures, and safety protocols, which you can read below:

When does the season start?

After the July 1 report date and an abbreviated camp, the regular season is anticipated to begin on July 23-24.

How many games will be played?

MLB has submitted a proposed 60-game schedule to the MLBPA to review. It has not yet been finalized. To limit travel distances, teams would play a majority of games against their division opponents (40, or 10 against each division opponent) and the rest against their geographic counterpart in the other league (in other words, AL East vs. NL East, AL Central vs. NL Central, AL West vs. NL West).

What is the postseason format?

The same it has been since 2012: Five playoff teams from each league (three division winners, two Wild Card winners), with the winner of the Wild Card Game in the AL and NL advancing to a best-of-five Division Series against the top division winner. The League Championship Series and World Series remain best-of-seven.

Will the designated hitter be used in both leagues?

Yes. Though the universal DH for both 2020 and 2021 was part of a proposal rejected by the players, it remains a piece of the 2020 health and safety protocols. With an abbreviated “second Spring Training,” an effort is being made not to overtax pitchers by having them hit.

So for now, it is possible that the NL could return to its traditional rules with pitchers hitting again in 2021.

Where will camps take place?

Most clubs are expected to conduct training at the ballparks in their home cities (not their Spring Training facilities).

Will there still be a Trade Deadline?

Yes. But instead of July 31, it will be Aug. 31. Players must be on a club’s roster by Sept. 15 in order to be eligible for postseason play.

What will the rosters look like?

To help ease players into competition, each club will have a 30-man roster for the first two weeks, 28 for the next two weeks, and 26 for the remainder of the season.

Teams will submit lists of 60 players eligible to play in 2020 — the 40-man roster plus a “taxi squad” of 20 players.

Will there be any in-game rule changes?

With a tight schedule and a desire to limit time on the field, the Minor League rule for extra innings will be in effect. That means every half-inning after the ninth will begin with a runner on second base. The designated runner would be the player who made the final out in the prior half-inning (or a pinch-runner for that player), and the pitcher would not be charged with an earned run if that runner scores (it would be scored as if the runner had reached on an error).

Please note that this rule is only in place for 2020 and only in effect for the regular season. Extra innings in the postseason would not begin with a runner on second.

Anything else related to gameplay I should know?

Yes, a few things to note.

1. Position players pitching: There was supposed to be a new restriction for 2020 that said position players could only pitch if the game was in extra innings or their team was ahead or trailing by more than six runs. There will be no such requirement for this season.

2. Three-batter minimum: This is an offseason rule change for 2020 that will remain. Relievers who enter the game must face at least three batters or finish an inning before being removed (with exceptions for injury or illness).

3. Suspended games: If a game gets cut short due to weather before it becomes official (less than five innings), it will be continued at a later date rather than started from scratch.

What protocols will be in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19?

Among the most pertinent measures are as follows:

• Players, coaches, and support staff will be tested for COVID-19 every other day during Spring Training, the regular season, and postseason.

• Players will receive temperature/symptom checks twice per day.

• Antibody testing will be conducted once per month.

• Social distancing will be encouraged as much as possible both on the field and off. Players and other team personnel not participating in the game will be sitting in the stands, at least six feet apart.

• Non-playing personnel must wear masks in the dugout and bullpen at all times.

• No pregame exchange of lineup cards.

• No celebratory contact (high-fives, fist bumps, hugs, etc.).

• No spitting or chewing of tobacco and/or sunflower seeds. Chewing gum is allowed.

• A ball will be thrown out once it has been touched by multiple players.

• Fights are strictly prohibited.

What happens if a player tests positive for COVID-19?

There will be a COVID-19 related injured list, with no minimum or maximum length of placement. A player may be placed on that list based on a positive COVID-19 test or confirmed exposure or if a player exhibits symptoms requiring self-isolation for further assessment. Any player who tests positive will not be allowed to return until he tests negative twice.

What about the regular injured list?

Rather than a 10-day injured list for position players and a 15-day injured list for pitchers, there will be a 10-day injured list for all players in the shortened season. The 60-day injured list will be reduced to 45 days.

What if there is a COVID-19 outbreak in a team’s city?

MLB has the right to relocate teams — in the regular season and postseason — to neutral sites for health and safety reasons.

Noteworthiness

— On Tuesday, the Rays officially added first-round draft pick Nick Bitsko, to a long list of highly acclaimed pitching prospects within Tampa Bay’s farm system.

https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1275552749430681601?s=20

According to Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com), Bitsko’s $3-Million signing bonus is slightly more than the $2,831,300 slot value for the No. 24 pick.

Obviously it’s a great organization, and they’re top-level in developmental and stuff like that. The reclassification decision back in the fall, I think it was the right decision overall for me to do something and further my career in baseball and see how far I can take this throughout pro ball and see how far I can go. …I think it’s a great day, obviously a big, I guess, relief … not having to worry about the shenanigans and stuff like that. It’ll be fun to see how I develop this summer.

— Nick Bitsko

— Rays player representative, Tyler Glasnow, told Marc Topkin the team realizes that sacrifices during the 60-game abbreviated season have to be made.

I think everybody understands that you’re not going to be out and living your normal life. There’s sacrifices to be made. The majority of people’s schedule will be home-field-home, and that’s kind of how it has to be for the next two-three months. …We’ve had a good amount of conversation about that. Charlie (Morton) and a few other dudes, a lot of us have mentioned that we kind of need to kind of lookout for one another. That nobody can go out and be irresponsible at this point. Everybody needs to follow the same rules, whether it’s at home or on the road. We’re going to have to really grind the season out, limit our exposure as much as possible, and then just do whatever you want in the offseason.

— Tyler Glasnow
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